RIVERSIDE INTERNAL MEDICINE OF DENBIGH

HRACRE Judges' comments

"The jurors liked this project because they changed the character of the place in terms of the street presence with very simple, efficient moves. This property was previously a steakhouse that was not consistent with the image and brand. They identified the problem and fixed it with a masterful use of inexpensive materials to transform the facility. It was a relatively small intervention with a big payoff..."

This project examines and illustrates the power that architectural elements have in transforming our perceptions about the character and setting of a place. Originally constructed as a steakhouse in the 1970’s in a suburban strip mall shopping context, the existing building had been modified and altered to the point that its appearance was completely inconsistent with the image and branding associated with the Riverside Regional Medical Group.

Intervention through the addition of highly textural new architectural elements became the strategy of converting a tired and forgotten building into an upbeat and humane place for patients to visit their doctors. The new entrance was designed to assert itself vertically and developed as a delicate wooden pavilion structure which would be the focus of the primary building façade. A wooden trellis was layered in to intervene in front of the existing façade and create a visual element reinforcing the pedestrian sequence of arrival to the new building entrance. These two simple elements transform the perception of the facility and redefine of the street appearance as well as the human experience of arrival at the office.

The building skin was replaced with a new fiber-cement siding and storefront window system which transformed the exterior and allowed for a more textured surface in the language of traditional board and batten architecture.

A masterful use of inexpensive materials deployed in a carefully orchestrated scheme transformed the facility from eyesore to a visually attractive destination.